WHAT it means for the Church to be Apostolic and Prophetic is the subject of Gesa Theissen’s book. She makes particular reference to the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican Churches, and addresses her theme ecumenically, including a chapter on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (James Clarke & Co., £20; 978-0-227-68025-4).

The work and ideas of the saints can act as a gift from God to aid unity across denominations and Churches; and one such is St Teresa of Ávila, says Elizabeth Newman, whose Attending to the Wounds on Christ’s Body: Teresa’s scriptural vision, explores how the saint, declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI, can help to build up the Church today across divisions and towards a greater understanding of the Body of Christ as a unified whole (James Clarke & Co., £19.50; 978-0-227-17403-6).

In Divine Essence and Divine Energies: Ecumenical reflections on the presence of God in Eastern Orthodoxy, theologians of other traditions discuss the distinction between the essence and energy of God, a key part of Orthodox spirituality not replicated elsewhere. Constantine Athanasopolous and Christoph Schneider have edited this collection of essays, which has its roots in a colloquium held in Cambridge a number of years ago (James Clarke & Co., £25; 978-0-227-17386-2).

The Tantur Institute brings Christians of different dominations together to study, pray, converse, and share food and community. For its 40th anniversary in 2012, a conference was held in celebration of its work. The lectures, edited by Timothy Lowe, are available in published form: Hope of Unity: Living ecumenism today (AphorismA Verlag, www.aphorisma.eu, €15; 978-3-86575-040-2).